The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants annual ranking, which this year will return with a live announcement in Singapore on March 28, is the first of many awards to be handed out to the restaurant industry in 2023.
Ahead of the unveiling of the top 50 restaurants – which are decided by a panel of voters from around the region – comes the 51 to 100 ranking, which celebrates the venues that fall just outside that list.
In 2023 Hong Kong has had a bit of a comeback, with three restaurants making their debuts on the list and five keeping their places.
The newbies are high-end Ningbo cuisine specialist Yong Fu in Wan Chai, clocking in at #54, followed by one-Michelin-star Ando at #61 and fine-dining Italian favourite Estro close on its heels at #62.
Yong Fu’s Liu Zhen told the Post his team were “delighted” to enter the list as the highest ranked new entry for Hong Kong, and expressed gratitude to their guests and the judging panel.
“We can only repay their faith and support towards us, with our passion and execution of our food and cuisine,” he said.
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Ando’s chef Agustin Balbi said: “We are truly humbled and honoured to know that chef colleagues, gourmets and journalists support our work, even [though] we opened our doors in July 2020 – in probably the most difficult period Hong Kong has experienced during Covid-19.
“I have seen continuous growth and evolution with our team and cuisine. Every day is a new learning experience and a new opportunity to reach new levels.
“Once again we are truly humbled and thankful for the support we have received in these young two years.”
Estro’s executive chef, Antimo Maria Merone, said: “It is fantastic recognition for our team that has been pushing to deliver our idea of a gastronomic Italian experience since the first day we opened.
“We are still a very young restaurant and we will not stop trying to improve ourselves.”
It’s not uncommon to see newly opened or under-the-radar restaurants join this longlist before slowly making their way to the inner circle of the lauded 50.
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The release of the list is also a gauge of which restaurants might be ranked in the region’s top 50, especially if they were closer to achieving that in the previous year’s list but are conspicuously absent from the 2023 rankings.
Receiving the One to Watch award this year – another accolade that almost guarantees the restaurant’s ascent on the list in subsequent years – is Jakarta’s August restaurant, at #95.
Led by chef Hans Christian and Budi Cahyadi, the venue debuted in November 2021 and has captured the attention of travelling gourmands, thanks to its focus on modern Indonesian flavours and local produce.
Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok all have six representatives on the 51 to 100 list this year; in the Japanese capital, newcomers include the two-Michelin-star French-Japanese fusion restaurant Esquisse (#67), Mandarin Oriental Tokyo’s The Pizza Bar on 38th (#80) and Hommage (#91), a French two-Michelin-star restaurant in the Asakusa area.
A wild-card entry is located further out in Toyama, up in the Hida mountains. L’Evo, helmed by Eiji Taniguchi, is a two-hour drive from Toyama City, and is the first restaurant from the area to make the list.
Shanghai has four establishments featured, including new entrant Meet the Bund at #89, while Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Mumbai have three restaurants each featured to round off the list.
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